Glenn Greenwald on security and liberty + Internet | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/series/glenn-greenwald-security-liberty+technology/internet
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On leaving the Guardian | Glenn Greenwaldhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/31/glenn-greenwald-leaving-guardian
Reporting the NSA story hasn't been easy, but it's always been fulfilling. It's what journalism at its crux is about, and we must protect that<p>As many of you know, I'm leaving the Guardian in order to work with Pierre Omidyar, Laura Poitras, Jeremy Scahill and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2013/10/29/omidyar-venture-adds-froomkin-segura/">soon-to-be-identified others</a> on building a new media organization. As I said when this<br>news was <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/exclusive-glenn-greenwald-will-leave-guardian-to-create-new">reported a couple of weeks ago</a>, leaving the Guardian was not an easy choice, but this was a dream opportunity that was impossible to decline.</p><p>We do not yet have an exact launch date for the new outlet, but rest assured: I'm not going to disappear for months or anything like that. The new site will be up and running reasonably soon.</p><p>British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday his government was likely to act to stop newspapers publishing what he called damaging leaks from former US intelligence operative Edward Snowden unless they began to behave more responsibly.</p><p>"If they (newspapers) don't demonstrate some social responsibility it will be very difficult for government to stand back and not to act," Cameron told parliament, saying Britain's Guardian newspaper had "gone on" to print damaging material after initially agreeing to destroy other sensitive data.</p><p>Our first object should therefore be, to leave open to him all the avenues to truth. The most effectual hitherto found, is the freedom of the press. It is, therefore, the first shut up by those who fear the investigation of their actions.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/31/glenn-greenwald-leaving-guardian">Continue reading...</a>NSAMediaInternetCivil liberties - internationalThu, 31 Oct 2013 15:15:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/31/glenn-greenwald-leaving-guardianPhotograph: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty ImagesA computer workstation showing the National Security Agency (NSA) logo inside the Threat Operations Center in the Washington suburb of Fort Meade, Maryland. Photograph: Paul J Richards/AFP/Getty ImagesPhotograph: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty ImagesA computer workstation showing the National Security Agency (NSA) logo inside the Threat Operations Center in the Washington suburb of Fort Meade, Maryland. Photograph: Paul J Richards/AFP/Getty ImagesGlenn Greenwald2013-10-31T15:15:00ZNSA and GCHQ target Tor network that protects anonymity of web usershttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/04/nsa-gchq-attack-tor-network-encryption
• Top-secret documents detail repeated efforts to crack Tor<br />• US-funded tool relied upon by dissidents and activists<br />• Core security of network remains intact but NSA has some success attacking users' computers<br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/04/nsa-attacks-internet-bruce-schneier">Bruce Schneier: the NSA's attacks must be made public</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/04/tor-attacks-nsa-users-online-anonymity">Attacking Tor: the technical details</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/egotistical-giraffe-nsa-tor-document">'Peeling back the layers with Egotistical Giraffe' – document</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/tor-stinks-nsa-presentation-document">'Tor Stinks' presentation – full document</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/tor-high-secure-internet-anonymity">Tor: 'The king of high-secure, low-latency anonymity'</a><p>The National Security Agency has made repeated attempts to develop attacks against people using Tor, a popular tool designed to protect online anonymity, despite the fact the software is primarily funded and promoted by the US government itself.</p><p>Top-secret NSA documents, disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, reveal that the agency's current successes against Tor rely on identifying users and then attacking vulnerable software on their computers. One technique developed by the agency targeted the Firefox web browser used with Tor, giving the agency full control over targets' computers, including access to files, all keystrokes and all online activity.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/04/nsa-gchq-attack-tor-network-encryption">Continue reading...</a>The NSA filesNSASurveillancePrivacyData protectionUS national securityUS constitution and civil libertiesLawTechnologyWorld newsUS newsInternetComputingFri, 04 Oct 2013 14:50:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/04/nsa-gchq-attack-tor-network-encryptionPhotograph: Felix ClayOne technique developed by the agency targeted the Firefox web browser used with Tor, giving the agency full control over targets' computers. Photograph: Felix ClayPhotograph: Felix ClayOne technique developed by the agency targeted the Firefox web browser used with Tor, giving the agency full control over targets' computers. Photograph: Felix ClayJames Ball, Bruce Schneier and Glenn Greenwald2013-10-04T14:50:07ZRevealed: how US and UK spy agencies defeat internet privacy and securityhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-security
• NSA and GCHQ unlock encryption used to protect emails, banking and medical records<br />• $250m-a-year US program works covertly with tech companies to insert weaknesses into products<br />• Security experts say programs 'undermine the fabric of the internet'<br /><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/06/nsa-surveillance-revelations-encryption-expert-chat">Q&amp;A: submit your questions for our privacy experts</a><p>US and British intelligence agencies have successfully cracked much of the online encryption relied upon by hundreds of millions of people to protect the privacy of their personal data, online transactions and emails, according to top-secret documents revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden.</p><p>The files show that the National Security Agency and its UK counterpart GCHQ have broadly compromised the guarantees that internet companies have given consumers to reassure them that their communications, online banking and medical records would be indecipherable to criminals or governments.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-security">Continue reading...</a>The NSA filesNSAGCHQSurveillanceUS newsWorld newsUS national securityPrivacyTechnologyInternetData protectionData and computer securityUK newsFri, 06 Sep 2013 10:24:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-securityPhotograph: Kacper Pempel/REUTERSThrough covert partnerships with tech companies, the spy agencies have inserted secret vulnerabilities into encryption software. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/ReutersPhotograph: Kacper Pempel/REUTERSThrough covert partnerships with tech companies, the spy agencies have inserted secret vulnerabilities into encryption software. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/ReutersJames Ball, Julian Borger and Glenn Greenwald2013-09-06T10:24:00ZXKeyscore: NSA tool collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/31/nsa-top-secret-program-online-data
• XKeyscore gives 'widest-reaching' collection of online data<br />• NSA analysts require no prior authorization for searches<br />• Sweeps up emails, social media activity and browsing history<br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/jul/31/nsa-xkeyscore-program-full-presentation">NSA's XKeyscore program – read one of the presentations</a><p>A top secret National Security Agency program allows analysts to search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals, according to documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden.</p><p>The NSA boasts in training materials that the program, called XKeyscore, is its "widest-reaching" system for developing intelligence from the internet.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/31/nsa-top-secret-program-online-data">Continue reading...</a>The NSA filesSurveillanceNSAUS newsPrivacyInternetData protectionTechnologyUS politicsWorld newsUS CongressWed, 31 Jul 2013 12:56:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/31/nsa-top-secret-program-online-dataPhotograph: GuardianOne presentation claims the XKeyscore program covers 'nearly everything a typical user does on the internet'Photograph: GuardianOne presentation claims the XKeyscore program covers 'nearly everything a typical user does on the internet'Glenn Greenwald2013-07-31T12:56:51ZMicrosoft handed the NSA access to encrypted messageshttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data
• Secret files show scale of Silicon Valley co-operation on <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data">Prism</a> <br />• Outlook.com encryption unlocked even before official launch<br />• Skype worked to enable Prism collection of video calls<br />• Company says it is legally compelled to comply<p>Microsoft has collaborated closely with US intelligence services to allow users' communications to be intercepted, including helping the National Security Agency to circumvent the company's own encryption, according to top-secret documents obtained by the Guardian.</p><p>The files provided by Edward Snowden illustrate the scale of co-operation between Silicon Valley and the intelligence agencies over the last three years. They also shed new light on the workings of the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data">top-secret Prism program</a>, which was disclosed by the Guardian and the Washington Post last month.</p><p>We have clear principles which guide the response across our entire company to government demands for customer information for both law enforcement and national security issues. First, we take our commitments to our customers and to compliance with applicable law very seriously, so we provide customer data only in response to legal processes. </p><p>Second, our compliance team examines all demands very closely, and we reject them if we believe they aren't valid. Third, we only ever comply with orders about specific accounts or identifiers, and we would not respond to the kind of blanket orders discussed in the press over the past few weeks, as the volumes documented in our most recent disclosure clearly illustrate.</p><p>The articles describe court-ordered surveillance – and a US company's efforts to comply with these legally mandated requirements. The US operates its programs under a strict oversight regime, with careful monitoring by the courts, Congress and the Director of National Intelligence. Not all countries have equivalent oversight requirements to protect civil liberties and privacy.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data">Continue reading...</a>NSAMicrosoftSkypeSurveillanceData protectionTechnologyEmailInternetUS newsWorld newsPrivacyFisa courtEdward SnowdenFBICIAObama administrationThe NSA filesSilicon ValleyFri, 12 Jul 2013 07:04:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-dataPhotograph: Patrick Sinkel/APSkype worked with intelligence agencies last year to allow Prism to collect video and audio conversations. Photograph: Patrick Sinkel/APPhotograph: Patrick Sinkel/APSkype worked with intelligence agencies last year to allow Prism to collect video and audio conversations. Photograph: Patrick Sinkel/APGlenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill, Laura Poitras, Spencer Ackerman and Dominic Rushe2013-07-12T07:04:00ZNSA collected Americans' email records in bulk for two years under Obamahttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/27/nsa-data-mining-authorised-obama
• Secret program launched by Bush continued 'until 2011'<br />• Fisa court renewed collection order every 90 days<br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/27/nsa-online-metadata-collection">Current NSA programs still mine US internet metadata</a><p>The Obama administration for more than two years permitted the National Security Agency to continue collecting vast amounts of records detailing the email and internet usage of Americans, according to secret documents obtained by the Guardian.</p><p>The documents indicate that under the program, launched in 2001, a federal judge sitting on the secret surveillance panel called the Fisa court would approve a bulk collection order for internet metadata "every 90 days". A senior administration official confirmed the program, stating that it ended in 2011.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/27/nsa-data-mining-authorised-obama">Continue reading...</a>NSAUS national securityThe NSA filesObama administrationFisa courtUS newsWorld newsSurveillanceData protectionPrivacyInternetTechnologyGeorge BushThu, 27 Jun 2013 15:20:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/27/nsa-data-mining-authorised-obamaPhotograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais /APThe internet metadata collection program was halted in 2011 for 'operational and resource reasons'. Photograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/APPhotograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais /APThe internet metadata collection program was halted in 2011 for 'operational and resource reasons'. Photograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/APGlenn Greenwald and Spencer Ackerman2013-06-27T15:20:00ZHow the NSA is still harvesting your online datahttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/27/nsa-online-metadata-collection
Files show vast scale of current NSA metadata programs, with one stream alone celebrating 'one trillion records processed'<p>A review of top-secret NSA documents suggests that the surveillance agency still collects and sifts through large quantities of Americans' online data – despite the Obama administration's insistence that the program that began under Bush ended in 2011.</p><p>Shawn Turner, the Obama administration's director of communications for National Intelligence, told the Guardian that "the internet metadata collection program authorized by the Fisa court was discontinued in 2011 for operational and resource reasons and has not been restarted."</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/27/nsa-online-metadata-collection">Continue reading...</a>The NSA filesNSAData protectionInternetWorld newsUS newsUS national securityThu, 27 Jun 2013 15:03:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/27/nsa-online-metadata-collectionPhotograph: Stuart Chalmers/guardian.co.ukThe NSA collects and analyzes significant amounts of data from US communications systems in the course of monitoring foreign targets. Photograph: guardian.co.ukPhotograph: Stuart Chalmers/guardian.co.ukThe NSA collects and analyzes significant amounts of data from US communications systems in the course of monitoring foreign targets. Photograph: guardian.co.ukGlenn Greenwald and Spencer Ackerman2013-06-27T15:03:00ZEdward Snowden's worst fear has not been realised – thankfully | Glenn Greenwaldhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/14/edward-snowden-worst-fear-not-realised
The NSA whistleblower's only concern was that his disclosures would be met with apathy. Instead, they're leading to real reform<p><em>This column was written by Glenn Greenwald for the Guardian's newspaper edition</em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/14/edward-snowden-worst-fear-not-realised">Continue reading...</a>Edward SnowdenThe NSA filesNSAUS newsUS national securityWorld newsData protectionPrivacyTechnologyPrismInternetFri, 14 Jun 2013 18:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/14/edward-snowden-worst-fear-not-realisedGlenn Greenwald2013-06-14T18:00:00ZBoundless Informant: the NSA's secret tool to track global surveillance datahttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/08/nsa-boundless-informant-global-datamining
<strong>Revealed: </strong>The NSA's powerful tool for cataloguing global surveillance data – including figures on US collection <br /><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2013/jun/08/nsa-boundless-informant-data-mining-slides">Boundless Informant: mission outlined in four slides</a><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2013/jun/08/boundless-informant-nsa-full-text">Read the NSA's frequently asked questions document</a><p>The National Security Agency has developed a powerful tool for recording and analysing where its intelligence comes from, raising questions about its repeated assurances to Congress that it cannot keep track of all the surveillance it performs on American communications. </p><p>The Guardian has acquired top-secret documents about the NSA datamining tool, called Boundless Informant, that details and even maps by country the voluminous amount of information it collects from computer and telephone networks. </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/08/nsa-boundless-informant-global-datamining">Continue reading...</a>NSAObama administrationUS national securityPrivacyData protectionInternetUS newsWorld newsTechnologyUS constitution and civil libertiesUS domestic policyUS foreign policyThe NSA filesBoundless InformantTue, 11 Jun 2013 13:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/08/nsa-boundless-informant-global-dataminingPhotograph: GuardianThe color scheme ranges from green (least subjected to surveillance) through yellow and orange to red (most surveillance). Note the '2007' date in the image relates to the document from which the interactive map derives its top secret classification, not to the map itself.Photograph: GuardianThe color scheme ranges from green (least subjected to surveillance) through yellow and orange to red (most surveillance). Note the '2007' date in the image relates to the document from which the interactive map derives its top secret classification, not to the map itself.Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill2013-06-11T13:00:00ZNSA Prism program taps in to user data of Apple, Google and othershttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data
• Top-secret Prism program claims direct access to servers of firms including Google, Apple and Facebook<br />• Companies deny any knowledge of program in operation since 2007<br /><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/07/obama-china-targets-cyber-overseas">Obama orders US to draw up overseas target list for cyber-attacks</a><p>The National Security Agency has obtained direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and other US internet giants, according to a top secret document obtained by the Guardian.</p><p>The NSA access is part of a previously undisclosed program called Prism, which allows officials to collect material including search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live chats, the document says.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data">Continue reading...</a>US national securityGoogleFacebookYouTubeSkypeTechnology sectorTelecomsPrivacyData protectionAppleInternetUS newsUS politicsMicrosoftThe NSA filesPrismFri, 07 Jun 2013 19:23:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-dataPhotograph: GuardianA slide depicting the top-secret PRISM program.Photograph: GuardianA slide depicting the top-secret PRISM program.Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill2013-06-07T19:23:00ZProsecution of Anonymous activists highlights war for Internet control | Glenn Greenwaldhttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/nov/23/anonymous-trial-wikileaks-internet-freedom
The US and allied governments exploit both law and cyber-attacks as a weapon to punish groups that challenge it<p>Whatever one thinks of WikiLeaks, it is an indisputable fact that the group has never been charged by any government with any crime, let alone convicted of one. Despite that crucial fact, WikiLeaks has been crippled by a staggering array of extra-judicial punishment imposed either directly by the US and allied governments or with their clear acquiescence.</p><p>In December 2010, after WikiLeaks began publishing US diplomatic cables, it was hit with cyber-attacks <a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/11/30/wikileaks-hit-by-powerful-cyber-attack/">so massive</a> that <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11907641">the group was</a> "forced to change its web address after the company providing its domain name cut off service". After <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/01/wikileaks-website-cables-servers-amazon">public demands</a> and <a href="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/how_lieberman_got_amazon_to_drop_wikileaks.php">private pressure</a> from US Senate Homeland Security Chairman Joe Lieberman, Amazon then <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/12/01/wikileaks.amazon/index.html">cut off all hosting services to WikiLeaks</a>. Sophisticated cyber-attacks shortly thereafter <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/blog/2010/dec/03/wikileaks-knocked-off-net-dns-everydns">forced the group entirely off all US website services</a> when its California-based internet hosting provider, Everydns, terminated service, "saying it did so to prevent its other 500,000 customers of being affected by the intense cyber-attacks targeted at WikiLeaks".</p><p>"Four activists from the hackers collective Anonymous caused multimillion-pound losses to a number of firms in revenge for the backlash against WikiLeaks, a court has heard.</p><p>"Using the name Operation Payback, the four flooded websites belonging to companies including PayPal and Ministry of Sound with messages and requests in order to bring them down. . . .The self-styled 'hactivists' caused losses worth more than £3.5m at PayPal and caused sites belonging to MasterCard and the recording industry to go offline.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/nov/23/anonymous-trial-wikileaks-internet-freedom">Continue reading...</a>WikiLeaksAnonymousInternetHackingFri, 23 Nov 2012 13:53:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/nov/23/anonymous-trial-wikileaks-internet-freedomPhotograph: YouTube/TheAnonMessageFrom a video posted by the Anonymous hacking collective urging the US public to stop the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection act (Cispa) in the Senate Photograph: YouTube/TheAnonMessagePhotograph: YouTube/TheAnonMessageFrom a video posted by the Anonymous hacking collective urging the US public to stop the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection act (Cispa) in the Senate Photograph: YouTube/TheAnonMessageGlenn Greenwald2012-11-23T13:53:00Z